More great news from the frontlines of singledom...
I don't know who this Margaret Mead of the speed-dating world is, but his observation, quoted in the "Perspectives" section of Newsweek (26 Nov 2007), makes me, at once, want to laugh and cry.
"I had hoped that they had evolved beyond this."
Columbia University economics professor Ray Fisman, on the results of his speed-dating study, which found that men avoided women who they believed were smarter or more ambitious than themselves.
Comments
This deserves an essay, but I can only afford to make a few observations::
1. Ambition and intellect are traits women often look for (as associated with success and financial security).
2. A woman who has high ambition and intellect is likely to work with men who have ambition and intellect.
3. How can a man with lower intellect and ambition compete longterm with the woman's successful coworkers? (Trick question: he can't.)
4. Why bother? (You'll always wonder if the children are yours...) Pick a more suitable mate.
So successful women need to find successful men.
SB
There's a flaw in your reasoning. The good doc's observation doesn't distinguish between "successful" men and "unsuccessful" ones. It is a blanket observation, based on the speed-dating group (who knows what that self-selects for - I kind of assume MBA-types), that men are intimidated by smart, amibitious women regardless of what their own degree of "success" might be. That suggests smart, ambitious women are out of the running with men who have the same level of intellect and ambition as they do.
PS - Not all women require men to provide them with financial security, so they might determine the suitability of their mates with with different compatibility factors in mind.
Is there a flaw in my reasoning? Maybe, let's see...
While the doc doesn't suggest intelligence and ambition create "success", I do. Those things plus luck make success. It's rather hard to measure a person's luck, but given 20 minutes of conversation, I bet you can get a good idea of a person's ambition and intellect.
I concede "Not all women require men to provide them with financial security". But at the same time, some do. In recent history, as few as 100 years ago, most did.
We--men--are socialized by our society that we--not our mates--must be the breadwinner. Not just the breadwinner, but the major breadwinner... Hard to do if she's making more green than us...
Also, according to your blurb: "men avoided women who they believed were smarter or more ambitious than themselves". This is not the same as "smart, ambitious women are out of the running with men who have the same level of intellect and ambition".
So, am I wrong? Maybe, but what I've suggested is worth thinking about.
Anyway, here is another article on a speed dating study. In summary:
SB